FS Midwest Unveils Plans For First Season As MLB Cardinals' Sole Carrier

McLaughlin, Hrabosky, Horton (clockwise from bottom left) to call about 100 Cardinals games each

FS Midwest in its first season as the "sole carrier" of MLB Cardinals games locally has increased its "slate of games to about 150 and all three of its announcers -- Dan McLaughlin, Al Hrabosky and Rick Horton -- return," according to Dan Caesar of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. The announcers "will work about 100 games" each, which is an "increase of 39 for Horton but a cut of 20 for McLaughlin and Hrabosky." McLaughlin "will do play-by-play in all his games, working with analysts Hrabosky and Horton 50 times each." Horton "will do play-by-play about 50 times alongside Hrabosky." Horton "primarily has been an analyst" during his seven seasons on Cardinals telecasts, and most of his "relatively small amount of play-by-play has been on radio." But FS Midwest Senior VP & GM Jack Donovan said that he has "no reservations about Horton's lack of TV play-by-play experience." Caesar notes there "had been some rumbling last fall that Horton might go after the analyst vacancy on Washington Nationals telecasts to work with former Cardinals broadcasting colleague Bob Carpenter." However, Horton said that he "never seriously pursued the job." Meanwhile, Donovan said that Hrabosky "will be on about 40 to 50 postgame shows on days when he isn't in the booth, thus giving him more total appearances than last season." Hrabosky, Horton and Cal Eldred "will take turns as analysts on that program." No changes are expected "in the radio booth, with Mike Shannon and John Rooney set to return" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/21).